Listen free for 30 days

  • Madhouse at the End of the Earth

  • The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night
  • By: Julian Sancton
  • Narrated by: Vikas Adam
  • Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (200 ratings)

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Madhouse at the End of the Earth cover art

Madhouse at the End of the Earth

By: Julian Sancton
Narrated by: Vikas Adam
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £25.99

Buy Now for £25.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Fatal North cover art
Island of the Lost cover art
Icebound cover art
The Worst Journey in the World cover art
The Wager cover art
Into the Silence cover art
A Negro Explorer at the North Pole cover art
Farthest North cover art
Erebus: The Story of a Ship cover art
Endurance cover art
Shackleton cover art
Mutiny on the Bounty cover art
An Unsung Hero cover art
Everest 1922 cover art
Race for the South Pole cover art
The Terror cover art

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin. 

The harrowing survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly wrong, with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless Antarctic winter.

August 1897: the Belgica set sail, eager to become the first scientific expedition to reach the white wilderness of the South Pole. But the ship soon became stuck fast in the ice of the Bellinghausen sea, condemning the ship's crew to overwintering in Antarctica and months of endless polar night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness, their minds ravaged by the sound of dozens of rats teeming in the hold, they descended into madness.

In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure gone horribly awry. As the crew teetered on the brink, the captain increasingly relied on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity - Dr Frederick Cook, the wild American whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, who later raced Captain Scott to the South Pole. Together, Cook and Amundsen would plan a last-ditch, desperate escape from the ice - one that would either etch their names into history or doom them to a terrible fate in the frozen ocean.

Drawing on firsthand crew diaries and journals, and exclusive access to the ship's logbook, the result is equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror. This is an unforgettable journey into the deep.

©2021 Julian Sancton (P)2021 Penguin Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"An unforgettable tale brilliantly told." (Scott Anderson)

"It grips from first sentence to last." (Lawrence Osborne)

"The next great contribution to polar literature." (Hampton Sides)

More from the same

What listeners love about Madhouse at the End of the Earth

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    131
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    122
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

awful awful narration

Seriously what were they thinking? The voice sounds like an insincere American Youth Pastor asking you if, like, everything is all right at home l'il buddy?. It's manifestly unsuitable for this ferocious story about crazy Europeans and derring do in the Antarctic. I have no idea how they thought this would work- but it really really doesn't. It's a shame- it's a great story, but I will have to read it on paper now and I was really looking forward to it accompanying me on my dog walks. Honestly, I have rarely heard a worse mismatch between subject and reader.

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 03-11-21

A true adventure story

This is an incredible story, as exciting and gripping as any fictional adventure story. The story of the Belgian Antartic Expedition encompasses breathtaking incompetence, amazing heroism, appalling hardship and larger than life characters - including some well known in the history of polar exploration. I cannot understand why the story isn't better known. It would make an amazing film. Only two quibbles. The first is that the narrator has a very idiosyncratic way of pronouncing certain proper names and place names, which grated and confused me a little. The second is the lack of maps and illustrations. This is of course always a problem with audio books, but some do come with pdfs with this information. I assume that the print edition of the book has maps and I would have found these really helpful to understand the route of the Belgica

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Want to listen again!

I heard about this book by accident and did a quick check on Goodreads to get a synopsis.
When I heard it's Antarctic theme, I purchased straight away.
3 days and finished, didnt want it to end.
The author makes a story of real life derring do into an unputdownable thriller like roller coaster ride.
I loved it, and would heartily recommend to anyone with an interest in Antarctic/Marine exploration, but also a brilliant study of the big personalities of the crew of the eponymous Belgica, their back stories and more.
Wonderful!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just brilliant

An astonishing story that I had never come across before, and a wonderful redemption of a man (Frederick Cook) whose actions on the Belgica were visionary but whose reputation was subsequently trashed. Beautifully researched and grippingly told. Not convinced this was the right choice of narrator: he reads very nicely but (for want or a better expression) I could have done with a more “muscular” read, or perhaps I just expect tales of derring do to be told in a plummy British accent. Anyhow - that’s a small quibble. I just loved this and heartily recommend it.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

An excellent listen. Very well written and very well narrated. I recommend it without reservation.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not a bad listen

Well-read by the narrator and not a bad book. However, I have read/listened to better ones of a similar ilk e.g. the books about Shackleton, Scott and the Erebus journeys were, for me, more engaging.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

amazing book, great narrator

such a gripping tale, like a great thriller. it keeps you at the edge of your seat with suspans. great interpretation also.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A decent read

I have noted that there are some criticisms about the narrator, but to be honest with you, you do get used to him. The story is a fascinating read, with adventure all the way through. Seldom does it become boring. Well worth it.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating Antarctic adventure…

I really loved this book - a great, well-researched and insightful account of the journey of the Belgica. Informative and a gripping story, would wholeheartedly recommend, thank-you 👍

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Immersive

Really good listen, fully invested in all the characters even though there isn't a main character

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Robyn(Amazon)
  • Robyn(Amazon)
  • 29-06-21

Exceptional

Excellent. I compulsively listened to the entire book and ave started from the beginning again. Narration is good, well researched. Gripping

adbl_uk_web_target_buy_box_sale_test